


Pregnancy and Shoe Laces Don't Mix

by jeneralreading



Category: Let's Play (Webcomic)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:21:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26115619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeneralreading/pseuds/jeneralreading
Relationships: Marshall Law/Sam Young (Let's Play)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Pregnancy and Shoe Laces Don't Mix

Sam stared apprehensively at the pair of sneakers before her, the laces seemingly mocking her swollen belly. The twins tumbled and rolled across her belly uncomfortably as if they were planning an early escape. She wasn’t due for her c-section for another two weeks, but the twins acted as if they were determined to make their own due date. Her doctor’s incessant warnings about the risks of natural labor for Sam’s worn body rattled around her skull with each twinge of false labor pain, which seemed to be increasing in frequency steadily as her c-section date grew near.

Sam shook the worries from her mind as she focused on her foe ahead: the dreaded shoes and their cursedly distant laces. They had defeated her yesterday when she tried to go grocery shopping and failed to get her laces tied, but she had a quick appointment with her gynecologist that she absolutely couldn’t miss. As much as Ben wanted desperately to help, he had some last minute projects to wrap up at work before taking his paternity leave, so this would be a solo quest.

She trudged over to the forsaken sneakers and slowly lowered herself to the ground, accounting for the shift in gravity due to the two wriggling babies within her. She felt her bottom touch the ground and sighed in relief, letting the rest of her body relax. First mission complete, next up was to get those cursed shoes on her feet.

Sam tucked her legs to the side and slowly maneuvered the shoes so that she could slip them on without having to bend forward over her massive stomach. She was able to tug them over her toes and slip them over her heel with relative ease, tugging them fully over her feet by reaching to the side and pulling at the heel counter. Now the only thing left was to get her laces tied.

Why didn’t I just get no-lace shoes, thought Sam with dread as she stared down the laces of her shoes. There was really only one way to do it. She had to bend forward over the twins. She psyched herself up, trying to will any amount of flexibility into her back and hoping beyond hope that somehow the muscles in her stomach would give her an ounce more freedom than they did the day before.

The first attempt was a failure, her fingers just barely brushed against her laces. Sam huffed, determined to get it this time. She pushed herself a little bit further, straining the muscles in her core and her lower back. Her fingertips brushed the laces a little more forcefully than last time, sending them tumbling to either side of the sneakers.

Sam felt a lump in her throat as a mixture of anger and sadness swelled in her chest. Tears stung in the corner of her eyes as she felt despair beginning to set in.

“No I can’t give up now, I have to go to this appointment,” said Sam to herself, trying to push past the overwhelming emotions. She tried one more time, straining until it felt like the muscles in her core would tear apart, but still the laces eluded her.

Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as her face contorted in uncontrollable sobs. She sat on the floor of their home’s entryway, completely dejected. She realized she would probably need to go to her appointment with untied shoes, which made her cry even harder. She didn’t want to risk tripping over her laces and accidentally hurting the twins, and she knew she would look ridiculous walking into the clinic with her laces trailing behind her.

As she wallowed in despair, the hum of the garage door motor split through the silence. Sam perked up and stared at the door before her, wondering whether she was mishearing the air conditioner kick to life instead. Sure enough, the knob of the door turned and Ben strolled through, a stream of sunlight at his back.

“Sam I got out of work early! Can I come with…” Ben stopped as he took in the despondent Sam, her face wet and eyes swollen.

“Sam, oh my god, are you okay?” asked Ben in a panic as he tossed his backpack to the side haphazardly.

“I...My…” Sam stammered, gulping in air in a losing battle against more tears.

“Your what? Did you fall? Are you hurt?” Ben crouched down to Sam’s side, his arms outstretched.

“My shoes!” Sam shouted as a new flood of tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Your...shoes?” asked Ben as he glanced down at her untied sneakers. “Did you have trouble tying them again?” Sam nodded slightly as she sniffled. Ben smiled and bent over, reaching for her laces.

“You know dear, you can always ask me to stay back from work if you think you might need help,” said Ben. “I finished the last of my character models today, and that was the last piece of work I wanted to get done before the twins get here, but that could have waited if you needed me. You’re more important than anything I have going on at work Sam.” He deftly finished knotting her shoelaces and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

“Now we have an appointment to make in half an hour right?” said Ben as he pushed himself to his feet. He bent over and extended one hand while the other hovered over the small of Sam’s back. She gladly accepted his extended hand, and was able to stagger to her feet with help from his gentle grasp. Sam ran her hands over her swollen belly lovingly, feeling the twins kick against her hands. Ben’s eyes widened as he noticed the movement himself.

“Woah they’re getting rowdy in there, which one do you think that was?” said Ben excitedly as he stared at Sam’s slightly shifting stomach.

“I have a feeling its Hannah, she seems like the feisty one,” said Sam, giggling slightly. Ben chuckled along with her as he took one of her hands in his. A knock at the door interrupted their tiny moment as a family. Sam opened the door to find her mother, who was the person that originally planned to take her to her appointment.

“Oh Ben, you’re here!” said Mrs. Young as she gave Sam a gentle hug. She pulled him in for a motherly embrace.

“Yeah I got out much earlier than I thought I would,” said Ben. “Sorry I didn’t give you a call ahead of time, I could have saved you the trip.”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Mrs. Young, waving her hand as if swatting away Ben’s negative thoughts. “Well Sam, how about I stick around your house and help with some chores while you two go to the appointment instead?”

“You sure Mom?” asked Sam nervously.

“Of course dear, this is your baby after all, not mine. You call the shots here honey.”

“Thanks so much Mom,” said Sam as she wrapped her arms around her mother for another hug. Mrs. Young planted a tender kiss on Sam’s forehead, then broke their embrace.

“You two better get going now or you’ll be late,” she said as she ushered them out the door. The pair waved as Mrs. Young shut the door behind them, then headed for Ben’s car.

Ben opened the passenger-side door and gently helped Sam into her seat, then hopped into the driver’s seat.

“So at this appointment, are they just checking on you and the twins?” asked Ben as he started the car and headed off towards the doctor’s office.

“Yeaup, this one is pretty routine, which is why I didn’t think you absolutely had to come,” said Sam as she stared out the passenger window at the passing landscape. Sam and Ben idly traded chatter about their day as the car rumbled through the city, and before they knew it, they’d arrived at the gynecologist's office.

Check in went smoothly, and Ben cooed over all the cute babies in the waiting room as they waited for a nurse to call them back.

“Sam, Sam Lawson?” said a cheerful young nurse as she poked her head out of the door leading to the examination rooms. Sam pushed herself to her feet slowly, assisted by Ben, and the pair followed her back. The nurse worked through her typical checks, and clicked her tongue slightly as she scribbled down Sam’s blood pressure.

“We’re going to take this one more time,” she said as she took the blood pressure cuff back off the wall.

“Wait, is something wrong?” said Ben, panic rising in his voice. Sam patted his forearm in re-assurance, looking expectantly at the nurse.

“Your blood pressure is a little bit on the high side Sam,” said the nurse as she started up the second blood pressure check. “I just need to make sure this isn’t the sign of something more serious.”

“What is this normally the sign of?” asked Ben worriedly.

“We’re normally trying to rule out something like preeclampsia when a pregnant woman has high blood pressure,” said the nurse as she finished up the second check. “And your blood pressure is high Sam, were you straining yourself before you got here?”

“Well...I,” said Sam, suddenly embarrassed. “I kind of, had a bit of a cry about my shoe laces.” The nurse smiled kindly and placed her hand on Sam’s.

“Sweetie I see that all the time,” said the nurse. “Heck, I couldn’t tie my shoes for the last month of my pregnancy with my son, and I remember how touchy my emotions were at that point too.” Sam smiled back, feeling herself settle slightly. “Now I know you said you were a bit emotional before, but we’ll still have to take a urine sample to make sure there’s no protein.” Sam nodded as she accepted the bottle the nurse handed her.

\-----------------------------------------

Sam and Ben waited nervously in the examination room, Sam propped up on the exam table while Ben paced back and forth in the office.

“So will they tell us the results of that test now or later?” said Ben, seemingly speaking to himself.

“Ben I think they’ll probably test it now and tell us when they get here,” said Sam. Ben stopped his pacing and walked over to the seat beside the exam table. He took Sam’s hand gently, and Sam could feel the slight dampness that gave away his nervousness.

“Dear, whatever happens, things will be okay,” said Sam, patting the back of his hand with her free hand. Ben turned his gaze to meet hers and smiled, noticeably relaxing slightly.

“You’re right Sam, I shouldn’t be getting worked up over it,” said Ben as he settled into his chair. Suddenly, a swift knock on the door preceded the entrance of Sam’s doctor.

“Hey Sam, nice to see you again,” said the middle-aged woman, a pair of thin glasses settled precariously at the end of her nose. She pressed the bridge of the glasses to shift them to their intended position and flashed a smile Sam’s way. “Oh and Ben, what a pleasant surprise!” Sam eyed her uneasily, sensing something akin to a slight nervousness in her body language.

“Now Sam, we had you take a urine sample to check for protein,” the doctor began, flipping to the second page of the print out in her hand. “And I’m sorry honey, but it does look like you have early signs of preeclampsia.” Sam felt Ben’s hand clench hers, knowing his panic levels just shot up through the roof.

“So what do we need to do?” said Ben, panic laced in his voice.

“The only thing we can do is get those babies out as soon as possible,” responded Sam’s doctor.

“But I’m only at 34 weeks,” said Sam nervously, anxiety threatening to overtake her. She immediately thought back to all the time she spent in the hospital growing up due to her own preterm birth.

“I know its a little early, but they should be developed enough that they’ll only need a short stint in the NICU,” said the doctor reassuringly. “We deliver babies slightly early all the time Sam, your babies will be just fine.” Her doctor hastened over to her computer, quickly signing herself in and furiously typing away at the keyboard.

“We can book you in for an appointment in the next few hours at the hospital, so you’ll have enough time to go home and get what you need, but you’ll need to head straight to the hospital after that,” said the doctor as she worked diligently at the computer. “That’s what I’m doing now is bumping up the time of your c-section. Before you leave, I’m just going to check on the twins quickly to make sure they’re not in distress, then you’ll be all set to go.” Sam gulped nervously, but nodded in agreement.

“It’ll be okay Sam, we’ll get through this, and Hannah and Levi will be just fine,” said Ben reassuringly at her side, clearly fighting with his own anxiety to help settle Sam’s. Sam squeezed his hand, tears shining in her eyes.

“Thank you Ben, I love you,” she responded as she mentally prepared herself for the slew of medical procedures suddenly present in her very near future.


End file.
